A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be “the toast of the evening,” for whom someone “proposes a toast” to congratulate and for whom a third person “toasts” in agreement. Here are many ways to give a toast from around the world:
- Albanian: “Gëzuar” (enjoy)
- Amharic language (Ethiopia): “Le’tenachin!” (To our health)
- Arabic: “بصحتك” (be ṣaḥtak, for your health)
- Australian English: Cheers mate! (to your happiness my friend)
- Basque: “Topa!” (toast)
- Belarusian: “Будзьма!” (budzma, may we live!)
- Bosnian: “Nazdravlje” (for health) or “Živjeli” (live!)
- Bulgarian: “Наздраве” (nazdrave, to health)
- Catalan: “Xinxin” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses) or “Salut” (health)
- Chinese, Mandarin: “干杯” (gānbēi, lit. “Empty cup”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
- Czech: “Na zdraví” (to health)
- Danish: “Skål” (lit. bowl – refers to older drinking vessels)
- Dutch: “Proost” (from Latin prosit – may it be good (i.e., for you)), or “(op je) gezondheid” ((to your) health); in Belgium: schol (from Scandinavian) or santé (from the French).
- English: “Cheers”
- Estonian: “Terviseks” (for the health)
- Filipino: “Mabuhay” (to life)
- Finnish: “Kippis”, or “Hölökyn kölökyn” (in Savonian dialects)
- French: “Tchin Tchin” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses) or “Santé” (health) or “cul sec” (lit. “dry bottom”, to drink the whole glass in one go)
- Galician: “Saude” (Good health)
- Georgian: გაუმარჯოს! (Gaumarjos!) (Victory!)
- German: “Prost”, “Prosit” – from Latin prosit (may it be good (i.e., for you)) or “Zum Wohl” (to health)
- Greek: “Εις υγείαν” (ees eegiyan), “στην υγειά σου/μας”, “γειά” (for health) or “Εβίβα” (eviva, from Italian evviva, “long life!”)
- Hebrew: “לחיים” (“L’Chayyim“) (to life, traditional Jewish toast)
- Hungarian: “Egészségünkre” (for our health), more commonly “Egészségedre” (ɛgeːʃːeːgɛdrɛ)(To your health!!) “Fenékig” (lit. “To the bottom”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
- Icelandic: “Skál” (lit. bowl – refers to older drinking vessels)
- Irish: “Sláinte” (health)
- Italian: “Cin Cin” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses) or “Salute” (health)
- Japanese: “乾杯” (kanpai, lit. “Dry the glass”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
- Korean: “건배” (gunbae, lit. “Empty cup”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
- Latvian: “Priekā” (to joy)
- Lithuanian: “Į sveikatą” (to health)
- Macedonian: “На здравје” (na zdravje, to health)
- Manx Gaelic: “Sláinte” (health)
- Maori (NZ) “Mauri ora” (to life)
- Marathi: “Chang Bhala” (may it be good)
- Mexican Spanish: “Saludcita” (to health, diminutive)
- New Hampshire “Shläng” (Variant of Gaelic Sláinte)
- Norwegian “Skål” (lit. bowl – refers to older drinking vessels)
- Persian: “نوش” (Nūsh, from Middle Persian anosh = “immortality”, or Persian verb nushidæn = “to drink”)
- Polish: “Na zdrowie” (to health)
- Portuguese: “Tchim-Tchim” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses) or “Saúde” (health)
- Romanian: “Noroc” (good luck) or “Sănătate” (health)
- Russian: “Ваше здоровье!” (Vashe zdorov’ye, for your health)
- Scottish Gaelic: “Slàinte mhath” (good health)
- Serbian: “Nazdravlje” (for health) or “Živeli” (live!)
- Slovak: “Na zdravie” (to health)
- Slovene: “Na zdravje” (to health)
- Spanish/Castilian: “Chin-Chin” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses) or “Salud” (health)
- Swedish: “Skål” (lit. bowl – refers to older drinking vessels); Gutår (good year) – old fashioned, still used in formal settings
- Swiss German: “Proscht” (as in German “Prost”) or as diminutive form “Pröschtli”
- Thai: “ชัยโย” (chai-yo!, lit. Hurrah!) or “ชนแก้ว” (chon-kaew, lit. Let us toast) or “หมดแก้ว” (mod-kaew, lit. Bottoms up)
- Turkish: “Şerefe” (to honor)
- Ukrainian: “Budmo” (let us be!)
- Vietnamese: “Yô” ((take) in)
- Welsh: “iechyd Dda” (Good health)
